Christmas: the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible - 8 November
2011

The
King James Bible has been described as “the noblest monument of English
prose”, which shaped the way people write and speak English. Now 400
years after its publication Royal Mail celebrates the anniversary on this
year’s Christmas stamps. Seven stamps will be issued which draw on
significant events from the Nativity inspired by verses from the Gospels
of Luke and Matthew.

Since 2006 all Christmas stamps are standard definitive size except for
the 1st and 2nd Class Large stamps where the 1st and 2nd Class images are
repeated but with more detail revealed on the wider format stamps. All
Christmas stamps are self-adhesive.

The two 2007 Madonna stamps
will also be reissued this year to provide a more traditional
religious image.

For many, perhaps the most important and
lasting contribution of the King James Bible has been to the shaping of
the English language itself. Commissioned by James I in 1604, he hoped
that this new translation would secure peace and stability in religious
matters following growing tensions between Anglicans and Puritans. The
arrangements
for the translation were more sophisticated and complex than for any
previous English Bible. Six ‘Companies of Translators’ were appointed,
each consisting of about nine leading scholars and churchmen, who were
all allocated a specific section of the Bible to translate.

Appearing in 1611 the new Bible was slow in rising to fame, and it was not
until the late 17th century that its remarkable qualities began to be
recognised. By the beginning of the 18th century, the King James Bible was
being hailed as a religious and literary classic. Yet even today, many still
prefer the 1611 translation to its more modern rivals.

Many of its distinctive sayings have found their way into our everyday way
of speaking, with more than 200 phrases such as ‘the
apple
of my eye’, a ‘den of thieves’ or ‘the land of the living’ have become
part of modern English.

Technical details:
The stamps were designed by Together Design with artwork by Peter
Malone/The Artworks. The sheet stamps & MS are printed in
gravure by De La Rue Security Print in sheets of 50. The individual
stamps are 20 x 24mm (30 x 24mm large) self-adhesive; the 115 x 102mm
miniature sheet is conventionally gummed. Booklets of 12 x 1st class and
12 x 2nd class stamps will also be sold - technical details to be
confirmed.

Smilers Sheet

The Smilers® Sheet contains 20 stamps: 8 x 1st class, 8 x 2nd class and
2 each of the two airmail rate stamps, 68p & £1.10 (initial
selling price £10.45). As last year, this arrangement means that,
as last year, there are only two
sets per sheet, rather than 4 in previous years. Collectors of
Smilers singles are advised to place their orders early to avoid
disappointment! On the other hand there are only 4 different label
designs, each containing a verse from the Bible, relative to the
stamp. It will be printed in litho, probably by Cartor Security
Printers.